


The Darkness Inside Me and You

by RabidRabbitsRabato



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Arguing, Blood, Complete, Injury, M/M, Mild Blood, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Skype, Swearing, Torture, i guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-14
Updated: 2016-12-27
Packaged: 2018-08-15 00:41:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 13,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8035516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RabidRabbitsRabato/pseuds/RabidRabbitsRabato
Summary: (Since I am terrible at summaries here's a quote.)
The scariest monsters are the ones that lurk within our souls.-Edgar Allan Poe





	1. Run

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first fanfic that I've written and posted, so feel free to leave any suggestions. I hope you enjoy!

He had to keep running. If he stumbled that thing would catch and kill him.

Rounding a corner, he saw another residential area. Nice houses, a few trees and almost no street lights. Basically a duplicate of the street before. And the one before that. L.A. was suppose to be a highly populated city, so why the fuck was there so many dark, unpopulated streets?

His lungs felt like they were on fire and he was surprised he hadn't fallen yet, with the way his legs were shaking. He used to work out frequently but for a few years he hadn’t kept it up. Now, regretting that decision, he made a promise that if he survived tonight he would start exercising again.

As he ran down the middle of the street, he could hear himself panting harshly. And over that, a pair of footsteps that had been echoing his own since the hotel. It sounded fainter and farther away now though. Maybe he could reach one of the many houses that lined the street and get help.

Slowing down slightly he moved closer to the nearest home. Before he could reach the sidewalk there was a low chuckle behind him, "Getting tired, Sweetie?"

_Shit_. That was way too close. He could almost feel the whisper of air on the back of his neck. Trying to reach a house would waste precious time and distance between them. Back to running.

Turning the nearest corner, an alleyway, he felt a flicker of hope. There was light up ahead. Light meant people, and people meant he would be safe. Surely it wouldn't try anything in front of others.

Ignoring the stitch in his side he put on a burst of speed.

10 feet.

What would he do when he reached the light at the end of this pseudo tunnel; Where could he possibly hide?

9 feet.

Don't think about that, just focus on the end of the alley.

8 feet.

He was almost out of this nightmare.

7 feet.

He whispered a prayer to whatever higher entities there were that his legs wouldn't give out.

6 feet.

Was that creature still chasing him?

5 feet.

Against his better judgement, he glanced behind him.

4 feet.

It wasn't in sight, thank god.

Turning back forward he had a half a second to register someone in front of him before slamming into them. They were surprisingly steady and grabbed him as he collapsed to his knees.

"Y-you have to help me. Please hel..." He froze as the grip on his arms tightened painfully. He slowly looked up at what he had thought was his savior. Red eyes, a sharp tooth grin, and a face he was very familiar with.

"You know, as fun as this has been, I'm getting bored of cat and mouse. I think it's time to play a game _I_ enjoy."


	2. The Man in the Mirror

For as long as Mark could remember his reflection was not his own. Sure, it looked like him, but it moved when he didn’t and didn’t move when he did. When he was a young child it would wave and smile at him and he responded in kind, until his mother confronted him about it. Not knowing better he told the truth, and his worried mother took him to a doctor. It was brushed off as an imaginary friend, but he stopped interacting with it for fear of having to go through the doctor’s tests and observations again.

When he stopped acknowledging to its actions, it got angry, slamming its fists against the barrier between them and silently shouting at Mark. It took a while but eventually Mark was able to almost completely tune it out. 

His life was normal until one morning he woke up with dirt and grass on his feet and on his sheets. A few weeks later he awoke standing outside his room with no remembrance of how he got there. After he ended up halfway across town and the police had to contact his family to have him picked him up, his mother started locking his bedroom door to prevent the apparent sleepwalking. 

It seemed to be a temporary solution to the situation as Mark hadn’t woken up anywhere else but his bed. But after a few incidents of having to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, he asked to his mom to start leaving the door unlocked again. It took some convincing, but she eventually agreed on the condition that a bell would be placed on his door.

Over a year had passed since the sleepwalking had started with no more problems occurring. But one early morning Mark became conscious of the sound of running water near him. When he opened his eyes the first thing he noticed was a bright red liquid running off his hands onto white porcelain. After a moment of blind panic he realized he was in the bathroom washing...paint off his hands. It had to be paint. And in the stream of pink water was short pieces of string, definitely not white fur. He looked up at the mirror, expecting to see his reflection glaring at him like usual. Instead it was smiling smugly. And that’s when Mark started being truly scared.

For the next few weeks he tried to ignore the fear of a repeat of that night, along with the ‘LOST CAT’ posters going up for his neighbor’s kid’s kitten, Snowball.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So in all the years I've been writing, I made and kept a promise to myself:
> 
> No matter what I do in a story, I will never kill a cat. 
> 
> It only took two chapters of this story for me to break that promise. You all better be happy. :( But really, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.


	3. Nightmares of the Past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really happy with this chapter. And it's longer than the other chapters. Yay! I hope you all enjoy reading it.

Mark jolted awake, gasping for air. For a moment he didn't know where he was, before recognizing the shadowed objects of his room. After he took a few breaths his attention was called to the side of his bed where he had heard a whine.

"Hey, hey, hey. It's ok, Chica. I just had a nightmare," Mark said, scratching behind his dog's ears. "There is no reason to be worried, it was just a bad dream. Well, at least the end was."

Mark sighed. There was no chance he would be able to fall asleep again tonight with his nerves this high-strung. Maybe a shower would help calm him down. Plus he didn't want to deal with the feeling of dried sweat tomorrow. Yeah, a shower was a good idea.

He gave a Chica a final pat and went to his bathroom. Ignoring the mirror above the sink Mark turned on the water. As he continued to get ready, he reflected on his dream. Or rather memory.

It had happened two years ago and it was the first time he was aware that he was moving without his control. It was like what he imagined an out of body experience would be like. He saw himself get out of bed and go to the kitchen. There, unwillingly, he had grabbed a knife from the knife block, then walked to his brother's bedroom. That's where reality split from his nightmare. Originally he was able to get control of his body before he got farther than the doorway. But in the dream...

Mark shivered even as he stood under the hot water. Both his mom and brother had died. And in the dream he had _enjoyed_ it. If that was a prediction of what the future could of been, Mark was happy he decided to move, though he did miss his family. He would not allow the monster inside him to hurt anyone he cared about.

Maybe one of his friends would be on Skype and he could take his mind off of this subject. Mark got out of the shower and put on clean clothes before going back to his room to check his computer.

He sighed again. Of course no one was online, what was he thinking? With the time differences everyone would be busy. Nevertheless he changed his status to online before opening a new browser. He might as well check the comments on his newest video. Scrolling through Mark smiled slightly, happy his fans had found some of his jokes funny.

He paused as he read one comment and felt the knot in his stomach creep back:

_8:13 Darkiplier anyone?_

Mark took a deep breath. It wasn't _that_ weird that his viewers had come up with the same name for his 'evil' alter ego that his actual evil alter ego had come up with. More memories came flooding back, this one of when he was in high school. He had been at his friend Wade's house playing video games and generally hanging out when he had gotten a pain in his chest, strong enough that he had collapsed and passed out. When he had come to he had found his hands tied with Wade standing a few steps away holding a base bat, watching Mark closely.

“Mark?” His friend had asked uncertainly.

“Did you hit me in the head?!” He had said, trying to understand what was going on through the splitting pain.

Wade relaxed slightly, and drop his bat to untie him. After getting Mark an Advil and they were seated on his bed, his friend explained what had happened when he passed out.

“You had attacked me. But you... you weren't yourself. Your eyes were red and you didn't sound normal. It was like you were possessed. Um, sorry again for hitting you.”

“Stop apologizing, you probably enjoyed it. But you said it called itself what?”

“Dark.”

Mark thought process was interrupted as he heard the familiar ding of a Skype message.

**Jack:**

_Hi! What are you doing up? I'm the one that is suppose to never sleep! :D_

**Mark:**

_You must be wearing off on me. Soon I'm going to be hoarding pots of gold!_

**Jack:**

_HEY! That's racist!_

**Jack:**

_Btw, are we still going to meet up later this year?_

**Mark:**

_Of course! I can’t wait! :)_

**Jack:**

_Awesome!!!_

Mark sat back in his chair, smiling to himself. He didn't know Jack as long as some of his other friend, but he was definitely now one of his closest. He was looking forward to seeing him face to face again. Too much time passed between them hanging out. Mark closed his eyes and imagined Jack. Clear blue eyes, contagiously bright grin, and such a good and pure heart. He felt willing to do anything to bring Jack happiness. Mark’s smile drop off of his face as he had a realization.

"No, no, no. I can _not_ be falling for Jack! Him just being your friend is dangerous. Oh god this can’t be happening," He whispered to himself. His computer beeped at him.

**Jack:**

_I have some things I need to do. Talk to you later?_

**Mark:**

_Yeah. Bye._

Dark had always tried, and sometimes succeeded, to hurt anyone he cared about. When he was in a relationship Dark put more effort into trying harm his significant other. Mark was not going to let that happen to Jack. Even if he had to distance himself, he would do whatever was necessary to protect his friend.

"You can get through this. Just fake it till you make it, Mark. It's just a crush, it will go away," He murmured to himself, feeling like if he said it out loud it would be more likely to become true.

Mark sighed one last time, then decided to try to go back to bed.


	4. Fears and Food

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really wanted a sandwich as I was writing this, tbh. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed my impromptu lunch!

Jack glanced at the time in the corner of his desktop. 2:00 pm. Just enough time to make himself something to eat before recording a collab with Bob. He went into the other room and started buttering a piece of bread. As he made himself a ham sandwich, his thoughts wandered to his friends. He and Bob had been wanting to record a video together for a few weeks now but their schedules never lined up. And Mark...Jack was worried about Mark. Their only constant communication was Skype and he hadn't been available for 11 days, not that Jack was counting or anything.

' _ Mark has his own life, he doesn't need to be in contact with you everyday _ ,' Jack thought, trying to soothe his worries. ‘ _ Even though he did before. _ ’

Hearing his computer beep Jack set his almost complete snack down and looked at the clock on the microwave. 2:17. Bob wasn't suppose to be ready before 2:30. Hopefully nothing had come up and they would have to find another date.

Walking back to his computer Jack saw the Skype icon flashing orange. Clicking on it he felt his heart jump into his throat as he saw who the newest message was from. 

**Mark:**

_ Hi _

**Jack:**

_ Hi! _

_ Is everything ok? You haven't been online for over a week _

Jack turned up the volume on his computer so he would be sure he heard when Mark responded and headed back to his kitchen. Finishing making his food he sat down at his desk. Bob wasn't online yet and there was no response from Mark.

**Jack:**

_ Hello? _

Eating his sandwich slowly he turned his volume down again.

**Mark:**

_ Yeah, everything is fine. Sorry _

**Jack:**

_ Okay, but if you ever need to talk know that I'm here to listen _

**Mark is typing...**

Feeling the seconds tick by painstakingly slow as he watched his friend start and stop typing a response, Jack started regretting sending the last message.

**New notification:**

**Bob is online**

Mentally thanking Bob for unintentionally stopping him from embarrassing himself further he sent a final message to Mark.

**Jack:**

_ I have to record a video now, but we should catch up later today _

Brushing any crumbs off his face Jack sent a call to Bob and turned on his camera.

"Ready to record?"

"Only if you’re ready to lose so bad you won't show your face for a week!"

"I'll have you know I'm unstoppable, and have yet to ever lose."

"Suuuuuuure."

* * *

 

After saving the new footage to his computer, Jack talked with his friend for awhile about anything from video games they were excited about coming out to interesting articles they had read recently. During a lull in the conversation Jack noticed he had gotten a message back from Mark, who was now offline again.

**Mark:**

_ I'm busy with other things today. Maybe another time. _

"What's the matter?" Bob asked as Jack sighed.

"I don't know. Something's up with Mark. Has he said anything to you?"

"Not that I can recall. I'm sure it's nothing too serious, otherwise he would of told us."

"Yeah...I'm just worried that I might of said or done something wrong."

"Oh, you told him how you feel?" 

"No. I don't want to risk our friendship. But now he hasn't been talk with me much and I think I might not of hid it as well as I thought," Jack admitted.

"Mark wouldn't stop being your friend for something like that. That just isn't the type of person he is. But personally I think you should tell him."

"That’s never going to happen. I'm not going to tell him. It wouldn't work out. He's  _ straight _ ." Bob tried to speak but Jack continued over him, "College doesn't mean anything. And even if he was bi I'm not the type of person he would fall for."

"You don’t know that. But you're not going to change your mind, are you?"

"I'm not."

"Well, I'll see if I can talk to Mark and find out what's going on." 

Bob spoke to someone off camera for a moment then told Jack, "I have to get lunch so we will have to continue this at a later time." 

"Alright. Bye."


	5. The Support of Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What?! Updating two days in a row?! It seems I found something I'm not procrastinating on. Of course I wrote this chapter when I was procrastinating on homework, so yeah...Enjoy!

_ BRRRRZZZZTTTT...BRRRRZZZZTTTT...BRRRRZZZZTTTT _

Without looking at the name on the screen, Mark answered his phone, "Hello?"

"Hey Mark!"

"Wade! Wait, you shouldn't be calling for another," Mark looked at the time, "Hour at least."

"The plane was early, for once. Bob and I just checked into Silver Horizon as planned."

"Oh. Well, let me just finish some things at home and I'll head over there."

"Sounds good, our room is 417."

"Alright, see you in a bit."

Mark hung up his phone, before finishing putting a queue on his YouTube channel for the next few days. He then started packing a bag with barely restrained excitement. Him, Wade, Bob, and Jack had finally made plans to meet up when a convention wasn't happening. They would of stayed at his house but he didn't have nearly enough rooms for all of them to sleep in so he was splurging on a fancier hotel. This weekend was going to be great! And he wasn't going to let anything ruin it.

Done with packing, Mark put his bag in his car, brought Chica to a dog sitter, which he felt guilty about for a moment, and headed across town to the Silver Horizon Hotel. 

Finding the room they were sharing easily he knocked on the door. When it opened Mark grabbed both of his friends and pulled them into a hug. 

"You don't know how much I missed you two," Mark said quietly.

Bob laughed. "We've talked plenty and it was only a couple of months ago you visited us."

"Still. But enough soppiness, we are going to have a fantastic time!"

"Jack flies in tomorrow, right?" Wade asked.

"Yep. We should be at the airport by noon. For now though, let's find a game to play."

* * *

After a laughing fit that had them ending up on the floor, Mark and his friends sat in a comfortable silence that was occasionally interrupted by soft giggles. Mark's ribs and cheeks ached pleasantly and he felt the tension in his shoulders lift for the first time in recent memory. He stood and got a glass of water, sipping it as he sat at the counter in the kitchen. Bob was the second to stand saying he was going to use the restroom. Mark thought about the next day and felt tension return. He would have to see Jack tomorrow. What if he couldn't act natural, what if he failed at hiding his feelings, what if he put Jack in danger, what if, what if, what if. Mark groaned and laid his head on his arms.

"What's wrong?"

Mark started, having forgotten Wade was still in the room. "Nothing."

"I'm not going to stop bothering you until you tell me."

"Ugh, fine. I might of fallen for someone."

"Who?! Spill," Wade said with obvious excitement, now standing right behind Mark.

"NO. Not happening."

"What's not happening?" Mark groaned again as Bob walked into the room and joined the conversation.

"Mark has a CRRRUUUSSSH!"

"Shut up, Wade. We aren’t in middle school."

"And he hasn't told us who it is!"

"And I'm not going to," Mark said, lifting his head and glaring at Wade.

"It's Jack isn't it?"

Mark froze and looked at Bob. "Is it really that obvious?"

"Well, Wade didn't figure it out. But that should be taken with a grain of salt," Bob said, trying to lighten the mood.

"Hey! But you two would be cute together."

Look back at Wade, Mark said sharply, "I don't think you understand how serious this is. Jack isn't safe as it is, and he’s only my friend. You really think Dark won't try to hurt him if we were a couple? Don't you remember what happened to Chelsey, Adam, Grace." At the last name his voice cracked and he turned back to the counter again. No one spoke as Mark pulled himself together.

"Sorry for snapping at you Wade."

"It's fine."

Sitting down on either side of him, Bob and Wade gave what comfort they could. After a few minutes Bob broke the silence, "You could tell him about Dark."

Mark laughed without humor, "You really think he wouldn't think I had lost my marbles?If I had just told you guys about Dark before you saw him yourself, would you believed I wasn't crazy?"

"Since we are talking about Dark..." Wade left the sentence unfinished, knowing Mark would understand what he was asking.

"There haven't been any problems recently. And he won't appear for at least a few weeks. So that puts out of question Jack seeing proof with his own eyes."

Mark sighed and stood up, "It's late. I'm going to go to bed." Without waiting for a response he went to the room he had claimed earlier that afternoon and changed into pajamas.

"Hey Mark?"

"You need something, Bob?"

"I just wanted to say that there might be a reason to not tell Jack about Dark, but there is no reason to not tell him how you feel about him." When Mark opened his mouth to protest Bob continued, "Just hear me out. I don't think Dark would chose to harm or not to harm Jack based on if you tell him or not." Bob took a breath, "Also, if you don't tell him, I will. I've talked to Jack and he is upset about how distant you have been acting. He thinks he's done something to make you regret your friendship. And I know you well enough to know that you won't be able to act completely normal around him and Jack will pick up on something being wrong. It isn't right to let him think this is his fault."

Mark closed eyes, then nodded. "Fine, I’ll tell him how I feel, but I’m not saying anything about Dark. I want to do it alone, though. Nobody in the same room as us. Please."

"Okay. I'll tell Wade and we will figure out a way to give you two some alone time. Sleep well, I'll see you in morning."

"You too. And...thank you. Both you and Wade. For supporting me through all of this.”

“There’s no reason to thank us. We are your friends, of course we will always support you.”


	6. The Beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few notes:  
> 1\. I haven't been in a airport in about a decade, so sorry if anything is incorrect.  
> 2\. The end of this chapter leads to the beginning of the first chapter, if that wasn't obvious.  
> 3\. This was originally planned as two chapters but I decided to combined them, so sorry if the POV doesn't seem to flow correctly.  
> 4\. Thank you for reading this far and enjoy!

“Ladies and gentlemen, as we start our descent, please make sure your seat backs and tray tables are in their full upright position. Make sure your seatbelt is securely fastened and all carry-on luggage is stowed underneath the seat in front of you or in the overhead bins. Thank you.”

"Fuck," Jack hissed underneath his breath as the plane started tilting steeply downward. Seeing a mother glare at him as she covered her kid's ears, he gave an apologetic smile, "Sorry, I don't enjoy flying that much." 

As the plane landed and came to a stop, Jack forced himself to unclench his fists. Looking at his hands, he rubbed his palms and hoped the red crescents made by his nails would disappear before he met his friends. They didn't need to know how much he hated flying. It was worth being in a pressurized metal tube blasting through the skies, 12,000 meters high, that could crash at any moment if he could spend some time seeing friends or meeting his community. This trip was only to visit Bob, Wade, and Mark but he had had people come up to him and ask for a photo or thank him when he was in the airport. 

"The time in L.A., California is 12:14 pm. The weather is sunny with a temperature of 85 degrees. On behalf of Emerald Airlines and the entire crew, I’d like to thank you for joining us on this trip and we are looking forward to seeing you on board again in the near future. Have a great day!"

Jack unbuckled his seatbelt and stood up to get his suitcase out of the overhead compartment. Walking through the jetway he tried to relaxed,  _ 'Out of one death defying situation and into another. Stop it, Jack. That's not a good way to be thinking. Even if things are weird with Mark, you still can have a good time. He isn't your only friend you’re here to visit. Bob and Wade are there as well, and it will be nice spending time with them.' _

Looking through the crowd of people at the gate for his friends, Jack put a smile on his face out of habit. Seeing Wade standing full head above the mass of people he started in his direction, before hearing Mark shout, "HEY, JACKABOY!" and getting enveloped in a hug. Getting over his initial surprise he returned the gesture. 

"Hello to you too, Mark," Jack said, laughing a bit.

Chuckling along, Mark responded, "Well, you know I'm not able to control myself around your charms!"

"What, is Septiplier turning into a real thing?" Wade said as he walked up.

At that moment both Jack and Mark realized the hug had gone on too long for just friends.

Putting a few feet of distance between them, Mark cleared his throat and nodded toward the bag at Jack’s feet, "Is that your only bag?"

"Yeah. I packed light."

"Cool. Um, Bob is out with car, we don't want to keep him waiting." Turning around quickly, Mark headed off leaving his two friends to have to run to catch up.

When they reached the car, Jack greeted Bob then sat in the back next to Wade, as Mark claimed shotgun a little too loud and desperate. No one commented but let him sit in front without protest.

By the time the four had reached the hotel, the tension between Jack and Mark had dissipated in the face of many stupid jokes and laughter. Jack could almost pretend everything was fine, but he couldn't help but notice and feel a sharp pang in his chest when Mark rarely spoke directly to him. When he did speak to Jack he couldn’t seem to look him in the eye for any substantial amount of time

* * *

_POV CHANGE_

After recording a few videos together, Bob asked what type of food everyone wanted so he could go with Wade to pick it up. Nervousness returning at the idea of being alone with Jack, Mark felt nauseous, but understood what his friends were doing. Looking over at Jack he saw an uncomfortable expression appear before it was quickly replaced again with a natural smile. If both of them were uncomfortable now...This was going to be a very difficult conversation. 

"Earth to Mark," Wade said.

"Sorry, I zoned out. What were you saying?"

"What do you want to eat?"

Since the group had decided on Chinese as he was lost in his thoughts, Mark chose an order of chow mein and followed Bob and Wade to the door. Seeing the look Bob gave him he muttered, "Yeah, yeah, I get it."

"Just remember our deal."

Closing the door behind his friends, cursing them silently, he turned back to where Jack was sitting. He was currently busy doing something on his phone, so Mark sat down on the sofa and pulled his own phone. 

_ 'It’s now or never.' _

Gathering his courage, he stood up and walked slowly toward Jack. "Um, Jack?"

Jack looked up curiously and set his phone down next to him on the table. 

"Yeah?"

"Maybe we should talk about thi-" Halfway across the room and through his sentence Mark felt a painful pressure in head.

_ 'Nonononononononono, this can't be happening, not now, no, no, where were the signs, no, this shouldn't happen for weeks, no, no, no, did I miss the signs, this isn't possible, no, no, there weren't any signs, no, no, no, no.’ _

"MARK!"

Coming back to reality, Mark found himself curled in on himself on the floor. Ignoring the pain, he turned and saw a worried Jack stepping toward him.

Midst of all the chaos in his head, Mark had one clear thought:

_ 'Jack needs to be protected.' _

"Do I need to call an ambulance? How can I help you? Mark, talk to me! I need you to help me help you."

"Jack," Mark managed to croak out. "Y-you need to run."

"What? No! You need me to help."

"Please, Jack. Run." Mark's vision was darkening. "R-ru..."

* * *

_POV CHANGE_

A man was lying in a fetal position on a hotel room floor. Fingers twitching as he came too, he listened for a moment for any movement around him. Not hearing anything he stood up slowly and stretched out his back and arms before sighing contently and opening crimson eyes. 

"Well Mark, it seems your boyfriend decided to listen to you. To bad it doesn't matter," he said as he spied the wide open door. Eyes landing on an abandoned phone on the table, he grinned, showing sharpened teeth. "And he forgot his phone. He really doesn't have a chance, if he is that stupid."

Picking up the other phone which was on the floor, he commented, "You don't need to see what I have planned for Jack right now. Your nightmares will tell you all about it. Good night, Markimoo."

And everything went black for Mark.


	7. Necessary Torture

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was really difficult to write. I redid it at least three times. But I think it turned out alright. I hope you enjoy!

“LET ME GO YOU ASSHOLE!” Jack screamed as he struggled against his captor, but was unable to break the grip.

“Watch your language.”

“FUCK YOU!”

“You should be more polite if you really want me to let you go.”

Jack glared at the other man then gave a sullen, “Please let me go.”

“Nope,” he responded with a vicious grin upon his face then continued to half carry, half drag Jack through the unlit building. 

Giving up on yelling obscenities Jack evaluated his surroundings. From the echos he guessed he was in a large empty building. And it was musty.  Looking around he could see shadows that looked like stacks of crates and shelves scattered randomly. So he was probably in an abandoned warehouse. 

Pondering the cliche of the scenario and wondering if he had been somehow transported into a badly written fanfiction Jack was startled out of his thoughts when he was shoved into a chair. He wasn’t that surprised though; it fit into the scene being played out. Mark, or whatever it was that had possessed his friend released him and stepped a distance away but before Jack could even consider trying to run he had turned back around and grabbed his arm. Holding Jack in place with an almost supernatural strength he started tying Jack’s arms to the armrests. Ignoring Jack trying to jerk backward he commented on his silence.

“Cat got your tongue?”

Jack swallowed hard and didn’t say anything. It sounded so much like Mark that a sharp pang of longing went through his heart but there was something wrong with it that he couldn’t place. Maybe it was the words being accented just a little differently or maybe it was something else, but Jack felt chills crawl up his back.

Done with securing him to the chair his captor moved to a metal table a few meters away. Watching his back Jack tugged discreetly at his bindings. No give. He wouldn’t be able to escape that easily. But his legs weren’t tied, which could potentially work in his favor.

_ ‘How? You try to kick him? Then what? You’re still tied down, if you haven’t forgotten.’ _

When a hand grabbed his wrist Jack looked up into red eyes only a few inches away from his own. They were staring furiously at him raising his fear to a new level.

“If I were you, I would answer when I say something to you. If you don’t you will suffer the consequences, understand?”

Jack glared back in defiance before nodding.

“Good.”

Attempting to calm his racing heart Jack tried to figure out what was being planned in the immediate future. Peering around the man in front of him he could see an electric lantern along with a book sitting on the table. Nothing else was visible so Jack leaned back again and took deep breath.

Jack’s breath caught in his throat as he watched the silhouette in front of him hold up and consider an object that reflected in the light and was distinctly knife shaped.

Hoping to stop him Jack searched for something to say, “Um, Mark…”

“Don’t call me that. I’m not your little crush.” Smirking when he saw the look on Jack’s face he carried on. “Yes, I know all about your feelings for Mark. I’m not nearly as oblivious or stupid as he is. Don’t worry though, your secret is safe with me.”

Closing his eyes in defeat Jack asked, “What’s your name then?”

“Mark and his friends call me Dark. You can as well.”

Despite the situation Jack almost found himself laughing. “Seriously? Like what YouTube calls your, uh, Mark’s alter ego. Next you’ll be telling me a guy named Wilford owns this building.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m not some fictional character Mark created. I existed long before YouTube was even an idea. Now, if you would stop trying, and failing I might add, to distract me, we should get down to business,” Dark said, turning back to face Jack, still holding the knife in one hand.

Through the shadows that shrouded his face, Jack could see the glint of Dark’s evil smile as he stepped forward and ran his fingernail against his skin before delicately rolling up Jack’s sleeve. When Dark lightly ran the knife’s blade against his exposed shoulder Jack flinched away but only succeeded in causing the rope to irritate the newly formed burns. Jack then tried to kick out however Dark easily avoided his flailing. 

“Now, now. There is no need for that type of behavior. I honestly don’t want you to get hurt...More than necessary at least.”

“Let me go! Mark, please, you don’t have to do this,” Jack begged, voice breaking in desperation.

Drawing back Dark sighed. “Will you stop bringing up Mark? He can’t hear you. And he’s not going to. Not until much later. We wouldn’t him to interrupt, would we?”

Going back to his previous position Dark put enough pressure to start making shallow cuts on Jack’s upper arm. Looking in the other direction he willed himself not to be sick or show any weakness.  Even as he tasted blood from biting his tongue to avoid crying out Jack was unable to stop his eyes from watering. 

In a gentle touch that disturbed Jack more than comforted him Dark turned his back toward him and wiped away the fallen tears.

“You don’t need to cry. You’re not going to die today. Originally I  _ was _ planning your death, but I changed my mind.” Letting go of Jack, he opened the same book Jack noticed earlier. “I want some company. You couldn’t imagine how lonely it gets being stuck in someone's head for month long intervals. It’d be best if you don’t move for this next part,” Dark said going back to cutting Jack’s deltoid.

Overpowered by curiosity Jack stared at the blood dripping onto the floor.

_ ‘It'd suck to be whoever has to clean that up,’  _ he thought detachedly. 

Moving his gaze up he noticed that the wounds had gotten deeper.

_ ‘You’re going to bleed out at this rate.’ _ Jack noted in the back of his mind.

Glancing at the open page Dark was looking at he realized that the drawing being pictured was matching the one on him. Mind sharpening again, a feeling of dread grew in the pit of his stomach.

BRRRRZZZZTTTT...BRRRRZZZZTTTT...BRRRRZZZZTTTT

“We’re almost done. You just wait here while I deal with that.” Setting down the book and picking up the ringing phone on the metal table Dark walked to the edge of the circle of light and answered it.

“I was waiting for you call. It took you quite a long time. Couldn’t you of called earlier when I wasn’t in the middle of something?”

Jack waited until Dark was looking away then checked if his bindings had loosened at all. To his surprise there was a couple inches of give. Looking closer at the rope he saw the knot had been partially cut.

“He’s with me. We’re having a bit of fun together.”

_ ‘When did that happen? It’s probably a trick. Dark couldn’t possibly missed cutting the rope, could he?’ _

Jack concentrated on the sound of Dark on the phone and thought this opportunity through. He could try yelling for help but he didn’t know who was on the other end and if they were in a position anywhere near them. So even if it was a trick, it was his only chance to make it alive and relatively unharmed out of this experience. Checking one last time that Dark wasn’t facing him, he slipped his hand through the narrow gap then tore his other hand free. Being quick and quiet Jack ran out of the light.

_ ‘Out of immediate danger. But where’s the exit?’  _ Jack thought as he rubbed circulation back into his hands.

Moving slowly to avoid running into any obstacles Jack wandered blind to where he thought the door Dark dragged him through was.

“Don’t bullshit yourself. You won’t find us until it is far too late.” Jack froze then looked around the shelve he was behind. Somehow he had gotten closer to Dark.

_ ‘Shit. Be quiet and go in the other direction. He hasn’t seen you yet.’ _

Backing up slowly he ran into something leaning against the shelf. Grasping wildly he tried to stop it from falling and accidentally made it clatter on the floor faster.

“Even if you were standing outside at this second, and I know you’re not, you can’t change what has already hap-”

_ ‘He heard you, he knows where you are. Move!’ _

Grabbing the treacherous item off the ground Jack recognized it as a board as he ran farther into the the pitch black shadows. 

“What has already happened. My apologizes but we are going to have to continue this conversation later. Like I said before, I’m busy right now.”

Stopping at a safe distance Jack looked back at the lantern light. Dark hadn’t moved, other than turning back to the chair and table. He was just standing with his arms crossed, waiting.

“I thought I told you to stay here. Can you explain to me what was so hard to understand about that?” Dark was silent for a second and Jack moved closer to the light, coming up with a plan on the fly. “So you are refusing to listen to anything I’ve told you today. One, to answer when I speak to you. Two, that I’m bored of playing your games. And three, not to move from the chair you were TIED to. Oh, and let’s not forget about number four. If you didn’t listen you would have to deal with the consequences. This is your last and only chance to come back willingly and I won’t have to make you suffer as much.” After waiting another few seconds Dark lifted a key chain into the light and turned in a circle, showing it to all corners of the room. “You won’t be able to find the door without a light. And if you did luck out I have the keys to the lock.” Putting the keys back in his pocket he continued, “Give up. You would have to attempt to attack me to get the keys. And hurting me hurts Mark. We both know you don't have the guts to do that.”

Standing directly behind Dark, holding the 2x4 in a batting position, Jack mentally prepared himself.

_ ‘It’s you or him. You don’t have any other options.’ _

Swinging the board produced a soft whistling noise as it cut through the air and Dark started to turn around.

“See Jack, that wasn’t so hard-” A feeling of satisfaction flowed through Jack before he saw the red haired man slump to the ground and his pride at proving Dark wrong was swamped by guilt.

“You just hit your attacker, your crush, your  _ friend _ . And you feel good about it! Mark might be  _ dead _ . What the  _ fuck _ is wrong with you, Sean?”

Dropping his makeshift weapon he kneeled down and grabbed the fallen man’s wrist to check for a pulse.

Finding it Jack kept talking to himself in an attempt to not be overwhelmed. “Good, you didn’t commit murder. But Mark could have a concussion and needs to go to a doctor.” Catching a glimpse of the dried blood that ran down his hand he looked back at his passed out friend to avoid having to see how bad the cuts on his shoulder were. “And you need to as well.” Recalling movies and TV shows he had seen where someone was unconscious he figured he should see if Mark’s pupils dilated correctly, whatever correctly was. “And even if his eyes are still red, if he is still Dark you should know before he wakes up.”

Jack stood up and walked over to the table to see if there was a flashlight or anything else that could be useful. He was met by disappointment. Other than the light source, knife, and book there wasn’t anything else on the surface. Grabbing the book Jack checked for a title and found it to be blank, nothing on the spine even. Curious now Jack flipped through the pages and was taken aback to see that it was in English. He had expected it to be in Latin or some other language that would scream ‘MAGIC BOOK’. With nothing better to do he started reading random pages. The set up reminded him of a children’s dictionary with a word at the top of each page and a picture below it instead of a definition. All of the ‘drawings’ were of patterns similar to the one he saw Dark carving into him, though. Jack shuddered at the thought of what Dark might of been trying to do. None of the words he had seen didn’t seem to have evil intention behind them. Blind, Control, Dead, Forget, Numb, Suffer, Trap, to name a few.

“Oh god, I just want to go home. After this hellish day I’m sure I can face my fear of flying. Was it really only this morning I was terrified of being on a plane?”

“Jack?”

Jack met the wide eyed stare of his friend and his brain took a moment to register that his eyes were brown. Mark was back. He hadn’t lost him.

Scrambling over Jack worriedly looked Mark over. “Are you ok? You don’t think you have a concussion, right?”

Smiling reassuringly Mark said, “I have too thick of a skull to get a concussion from anything you could deliver...Wait, is that blood?! Are you hurt?”

“Uh…” Following Mark’s gaze to his shoulder Jack felt his urge to throw up return. His arm had trails of drying blood running down it and his shirt sleeve appeared more red than the blue it was when he put it on earlier that day. But where there should be deep cuts judging by how much blood was still on him there was nothing. Not a scratch, not a scar. Disbelieving what his eyes were telling him he reached out and brushed the skin. Smooth, soft, and it didn’t hurt. Not even a dull ache, but he could remember in vivid detail the excruciating pain of the blade slicing into his flesh, the warm blood trickling down his hand to drip on the floor, the taste of copper flooding his mouth when he bit his tongue. Jack started to hyperventilate and panic. 

_ ‘You’ve lost your mind. Maybe none of this is real. Maybe you are still in Ireland. Maybe-’ _

“Hey, hey, hey. It’s ok, Jack. Breathe. You are fine.” Concentrating on the warmth that was suddenly surrounding him and Mark talking to him, Jack was able to calm down after a few minutes.

Jack tensed when he realized he was sitting on the ground with Mark holding him but when his friend rubbed his back comfortingly he relaxed again. He felt safe and secure for the first time since he left his home. Part of his mind told him that he should be a sane person and run screaming from Mark after what had happened but he decided to ignore it. He could deal with being insane. For now he drowned his thoughts out by listening to Mark’s heartbeat. But one thought kept repeating that he couldn’t help but to hear.

_ ‘Mark is only doing this because you are his friend and he is worried about you. He wouldn’t be doing this if he knew how you felt.’ _

Determined to shut up his intrusive thoughts in anyway Jack mumbled into Mark’s shirt.

“Hmmmm? I couldn’t understand you.”

Turning his head Jack repeated himself, “I might of developed a crush on ya-on you.” Cursing his accent for deciding to appear now, Jack braced himself for Mark to shove him away in disgust.

“You don’t know what you’re saying right now. It’s fine, you’ve had a long day.”

Mark saying that almost felt worse than if he had pushed Jack away. Instead of dropping the subject Jack angrily shook his head and kept talking.

“No. You can talk to Bob, he knows. I-I’m sorry.”

“Bob?!” Jack felt Mark’s laugh rumble in his chest. “That manipulative bastard,” he continued with a fond smile. Seeing the confused look he got from Jack he shook his head and said, “I’ll tell you later. But now let’s get off this cold floor and contact Bob and Wade, alright? And tomorrow we can all talk after a good night’s rest.”

Jack nodded and reluctantly got up. “Promise you’ll tell me what the hell is going on?”

“Promise. I’ll tell you what I know. No more secrets.”


	8. Press 'E' To Read Notes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost a month without updating! Yay? Sorry. But at least I'm posting a new chapter now! Though it's a bit short. Um...enjoy!

Mark was exhausted. But his racing thoughts and worries had prevented him from getting a wink of restful sleep all night. His whole world had been flipped on it's head. Even his lack of sleep was proof that nothing was the way it should be. Whenever Dark came out while he was conscious he could sleep for 12 hours after he regained control over his body. 

Mark started to get up when he heard someone moving around quietly in the other rooms. He sighed and layed back down. It could be Jack and he was not ready to face him.

_ 'Even if he admitted his feelings to you last night, he probably hates you now.  After the hell you put him through he'd be crazy to even want to be your friend anymore.' _

When there was the sound of shattering glass and a muttered "Shit" Mark rubbed his eyes and stretched as he decided to stop watching the shadows on his ceiling slowly recede with the rising sun and get up.

Mark's tense muscles relaxed when he saw only Wade and Bob were up; Jack was nowhere in sight. Stepping around Wade, who was picking up pieces of a broken mug off the floor, Mark poured himself a cup of coffee.

"You look like crap," Wade said as he stood up.

"Thanks," Mark responded driely.

"Wade's right, you look like you didn't get any sleep," Bob added from where he was seated.

"Well that might be because I didn't."

"What?!"

"Keep your voice down, Jack's still sleeping," Bob reprimanded Wade, then said to Mark, "That doesn't make any sense. You should of slept like a log after yesterday, that’s how it always been."

"Nothing is making sense. Nothing is the way it should be," Mark responded, then took a sip of his drink when silence fell.

"About yesterday, why didn't you tell us that Dark was going to appear soon, so we didn't leave you alone with Jack?"

"I didn't know."

"What do you mea-"

" _ I didn't know! _ None of the signs were there. I haven't had a headache or felt ill for almost a month, Dark wasn't in any reflections, there was  _ nothing _ !" Mark snapped, voice raised with emotion.

"And what about your dog? Doesn't she always knows when Dark is going possess you?"

"Chica was acting normal, and I was with her until I drove here to meet you two. She didn't sense anything." Mark's anger deflated as quickly as it rose.

"It could've been just a fluke?" Wade said in an attempt to comfort Mark.

"Maybe, but what if it wasn't? What if Dark can take control whenever he wants and has just been acting like he can't? We really don't know a thing for sure about Dark other than he hates me and will never stop trying to ruining my life." 

"Well, after that racket Jack should be awake," Bob commented as he glanced at the only closed door in the hotel room. Picking up a book next to him, he said to Mark, "I'm assuming you don't have any idea what this is or how Dark got it, right?" After Mark realized it was the same book Dark was using the night before he nodded and Bob continued, "We might be able to find out more about Dark if we find out more about this book. But I think we should figure out what Dark was trying to do to Jack first and for that we need a better idea of what drawing was being used. Mark, could you go tell Jack to hurry up?"

Mark finished his coffee to buy some time to steady his hands then went to knock on Jack's door. 

"Jack?" There wasn't a response. "Hey, are you alright?" Trying the door handle, Mark was able to turn it; it was unlocked. 

"Um, Jack? I'm coming in. You better be decent," Mark said, trying to add some humor.

When Mark opened the door he didn't find the green haired man dressed. He didn't even find Jack undressed. He only found an empty room void of life except for a note left on the bedside table.

_ Hey, sorry I left without saying anything. I needed to think about everything going on and my home is the best place for me to do that. I hope you guys understand. I'll get in contact once I've had a some time and we can talk then. Once again sorry. _

_ -Jack  _


	9. Intruder

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is another shorter chapter. But I hope you enjoy nevertheless!

As he gently press the door shut and locked it with a soft click Jack finally exhaled a breath he felt like he had been holding since he bought last minute plane ticket and left the Silver Horizon Hotel. He did have some guilt for only leaving a note but mostly he was relieved to be home and away from everything that had happened and everything that might of happened. As he was laying in bed going over the recent events all the puzzle pieces came together. Him telling Bob about him falling for Mark, him refusing to tell Mark, Mark acting weird, Mark wanting to talk, and Mark not saying why he called Bob a 'manipulative bastard'. It finally made sense. Bob must of told Mark about his crush and forced him to confront Jack about it so things wouldn’t be as awkward. But before Mark could talk to Jack, the whole business with Dark went down. And afterward Mark was too nice to destroy Jack's hopes when he had just been through a traumatizing experience. Honestly he was happy Mark didn't say that he didn't like Jack back the same way then. And he ran because he didn't want to hear it the next day. Jack knew eventually he would have to face it but the night before he realized he couldn't yet. It was cowardly, he knew, but he wanted, he needed the comfort of ignorance.

Jack picked up his suitcase and walked into the living room of his apartment and set it on the sofa. He would wash and put away everything later. But now he was tired and need some sleep. Jack stumbled to his bedroom, crawled into bed, and fell asleep almost immediately.

* * *

Something beeping had woken Jack up. He held his breath and counted to 30 without hearing anything.

_ 'You're being ridiculous. It was probably just a car outside. No one is in your home.' _

Rolling over, Jack looked at the neon green 2:49 of his alarm clock. He then stared at his door and attempted to fall back asleep.

His  _ open _ door.

Adrenaline shot through Jack as he sat straight up and tried to recall if he shut his door before he went to bed. He always shut his door, he had never been able to sleep with it open, but he was so tired earlier that he might of forgotten. He hadn't even changed out of his jeans and t-shirt.

_ 'Stay calm. You need to make sure no one else is here. Find something to protect yourself.' _

Jack got out of bed and turned on his light. Looking around the room for a weapon he could only find a pencil abandoned on the floor. Jack picked it up, although he knew it would do very little against an intruder. 

Opening his closet door first, Jack was thankful to find only hanging clothes. No one was in the same room as he slept at least, as the bed was the only other potential hiding spot and it was too low to the ground for anyone to be under.

Jack continued his search of his home, looking in the bathroom, second bedroom, which had been turned into a office/recording room, living room, and kitchen. He didn’t find anyone or anything out of place.

Although Jack had calmed down significantly by the time he was done going through his apartment, he knew that he would be unable to go back to bed for the rest of the night. He decided that he would wash his clothes and then find out what his community had created recently on Tumblr. Adding the lightly used outfits from his suitcase to his almost full laundry basket, Jack carried the whole pile the short distance to the washing machine. Both the washing machine and dryer were in a closet, stacked on top of each other to save room. Opening the door Jack's heart skipped a beat. The light signaling the laundry was finished was on. And inside the washer was Jack's blue shirt, blood almost completely gone.

* * *

"I'm sorry, but there is nothing we can do. You could file a report, but it is unlikely anything will be done. There wasn't anything stolen and there is no sign of forced entry. The best I can suggest is to change your lock and get a security system," The officer, William Brown according to his name tag, said.

Jack put on his best polite smile to hide his disappointment. "Alright. Well, thank you anyways."

With that the police that Jack had called after finding his stained shirt left leaving Jack to figure out what he was going to do.


	10. Blocked

It had been over a month since Jack left their meetup early and Mark was still waiting for Jack to get in contact with him. Currently he was sitting holding his phone, debating whether to message his friend first, while he watched Dark pace impatiently in a reflection. With how active Dark was being, he would probably appear tonight while Mark slept. He could find some comfort in that though. At least there were signs beforehand again. 

Mark’s phone vibrated in his hand, alert saying he got a new Skype message from the one person he was waiting for. Messing up his unlocking code, it took Mark a minute for him to open Skype, much longer than he wanted. Tapping on Jack's icon he opened the newest message.

**Jack:**

_ Hey Mark. It took me a bit to work up the courage to send you this message. I fell for you pretty hard and I'm sorry. I get that you don't feel the same way but I don't think we can go back to being just friends. I don't think either of us will be able to act completely normal if we did a collab together; both of our communities tend to be very perceptive and will notice something is wrong. So I'm making the decision that this will be our last contact. I'm going to be blocking you on Skype so I don't change my mind and message you. I'm sorry for ruining everything. Just know you were one of my best friends, if not the best. I will always treasure our friendship. _

By the time Mark finished reading what Jack had sent his vision was misty. Typing up a message mostly consisting of no, don't, please, and gibberish Mark tried to send it only to get an error saying "You don't have permission to message this person." 

_ 'You lost him. You didn't tell him how you felt and now you are paying the price.' _

Mark threw his phone to the side. He then got up slowly and went searching for his dog. Right now he needed to cuddle something and maybe shed a few tears. Finding Chica in her dog bed he crouched down and reached out a hand to pet her.

"Hey, Chica. I-" Mark pulled back quickly when Chica growled and snapped her teeth.

"Oh right, Dark." Though he was angry that he couldn't pet his dog, or any dog for that matter, at this point in time when he really needed to, Mark supposed he should be somewhat grateful. Dogs had always been able to defend themselves against Dark and Dark never bothered them. If Mark had to deal with the blood of a dog on his hands, he wouldn't be able to live with himself.

BRRRRZZZZTTTT...BRRRRZZZZTTTT...BRRRRZZZZTTTT

Mark stood up fast enough to make himself lightheaded for a moment and ran to where he left his phone.

_ 'It's Jack. He unblocked you. He changed his mind. You get a second chance.' _

It was his mom calling. Mark composed himself then answered.

"Hello?"

"What's the matter?"

"Um, nothing."

"Don't lie to me. I can tell when something is wrong."

Mark sighed and tried a for a half truth, "Really, I'm fine. I just had a stressful day."

"I'm going to find out what's going one, if I have to buy a plane ticket and travel across the country. Are you going to cause that much trouble for me?"

"No, mom. It's just a bit complicated."

"Well I have nothing to do for a few hours, if it takes that long."

"Alright, fine." Mark took a deep breath and spoke rapidly. "I had a crush on a guy I know for a while and I found out recently how he felt about me, but he left before I could admit I felt the same and now I can't get in contact with him and I don't think we are even friends anymore and I accidently destroyed any chance I had with him."

There was silence on the other end then Mark's mother said, "Go visit him and tell him face to face."

"No, he-"

"I don't care. You clearly like this person and so go fix your mistake."

"I-"

Speaking sharply, his mom gave an ultimatum, "You won't be calling me until you speak to this boy, ok?"

"Yes," Mark said, resigned.

"I love you, Mark," she said, softer now.

"Love you too." There was a click, signaling the end of the phone call.

Mark put his face in his hands. Everything had gone wrong. He wasn't able to tell his mother that he had no idea where Jack lived. And knowing her, she wouldn't listen to him even if they were in the same room. 

_ 'What do you do now? Go to Ireland and wander around hoping you somehow run into Jack? Face it, you're screwed.' _

As Mark had given up hope, a metaphorical light bulb flickered on and Mark was filled with new energy as he got an idea.

"FELIX! He lives near Jack, he probably has his address! I can still fix this!"

Mark picked up his phone, ready to start on his new plan immediately. But some of his excitement died down as he saw the image of Dark on the black screen.

"Tomorrow. I'll fix this tomorrow."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well it seems everything is going to work out. OR IS IT! Muhahahaha!
> 
> ...Sorry.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	11. Off Your Rocker

"WAPISH! TOP OF MORNING TO YA LADDIES!"

**sean**

"Today we will be playing Would You Rather. But with a twist!"

**this won’t help**

"Alcohol!" Jack lifted up a bottle filled with an amber liquid. "We done this before, but you found it entertaining, and I enjoyed myself, so why not do it again!"

* * *

 

Jack stood up and turned off his camera. He was finished with his recording session for the day, which he was thankful for. He loved his job but it had been harder to concentrate and get as much enjoyment out of it lately.

**why are you ignoring me**

"Shudup." The voice was still there. But though the haze caused by drinking, it was quieter.

**come on listen to me**

His hangover would be terrible though and he had things he needed to do later. Maybe he should take a shower to try and lessen the pain.

**fine have it your way**

Jack stumbled to his bathroom and turned on the water. While he waited for the temperature to be comfortable he studied his reflection. He noted how tired he look; it was obvious how little sleep he had been getting.

**i'll just have to get your attention another way**

Almost falling over, Jack whirled around and stared at the open door. Nothing. He turned back to face the mirror. Nothing there either. He could've sworn he saw a figure standing in the doorway, though. Looking at his empty hallway again, Jack started laughing. He could finally understand why people who needed help never got it. 

**great**

' _ They don't want to face that everything isn't ok. They, YOU don't want to admit you've gone crazy.' _

**now you've gone hysterical**

Jack gave up on taking a shower and went to turn off the hot water. But before he could he saw the steamed up mirror. And written in the condensation: He's Coming

* * *

It had been a few days since what Jack referred to as the shower incident. He had gone to the doctor but was told it was probably caused by stress and he shouldn't worry too much. He was told to also cut down on caffeine and was given medication for stress. But now he had woken up and found himself unable to move. He could tell he was laying in his bed but couldn't open his eyes. He wondered if this was sleep paralysis and if it was a side effect of the new medicine he was taking.

"Do I have your attention now?"

Jack tried to question who was there but couldn't talk.

"Oh, right. Give me a second." Jack felt cold fingers against his forehead and a pressure he hadn't been fully aware of released. Able to move now Jack scurried to the furthest corner of his bed and stared wildly into the shadows, trying to see who was there.

"Who are you? Why are you in my home? How did you do that?"

Jack got his first look at the intruder as he pulled a chair to the end of the bed. Barely heard over the scraping of furniture on the wood floors, Jack asked, "What the fuck is going on?"

Jack stared at his doppelganger as he sat and started to speak, "To answer your first question, I'm you, only with some  _ looser  _ morals. But since I know that that will be too complicated for you wrap your little mind around, just call me Anti. After all I'm simply a darker part of you, like what some of your fans theorize. Second question, this isn't your home. It's a recreation. You're currently dreaming. Which also answer your third inquiry," the other man, Anti, said, holding up three fingers. "Your final question is a lot less simple. So wanna try asking something a little less vague?"

Jack pull himself together and tried get over the initial shock and creepiness of the situation. "I'm going crazy aren't I?"

Anti leaned back, tipping the chair on to the back two legs, and smiled, "I'm a bit bias, so I'm just going to let you decide that."

Recognizing the voice and speech patterns Jack exclaimed, "You're the asshole who had been talking in my head and distracting me when I'm trying to work! But you have been quiet since I went to the doctor's. Why are you back?"

"That medicine wasn't doing anything. I just had to spend my energy on building this place, so we could talk, since  _ someone  _ refused to listen to me." Anti allow the chair to slam back to the ground. "Also, I'd really appreciate it if you would stop trying to wake up. Like I said it took me awhile to make all of this and you waking up would ruin my work." As Jack stared at his double through his short rant he realized something was off. But he couldn't put his finger on it. Maybe it was just that Anti hadn't stopped smiling despite the topic and obvious annoyance. 

"So what's your reason for creating a dream world just to speak with me? Why didn't you just tell me before. I could still hear you, I just elected to ignore you."

"Well, I tried to, but  _ noooo, _ you didn't even pay attention when I spelled it out for you. You went running to a psychiatrist. By the way, you don't need to take those pills. It's probably unhealthy anyways to take unnecessary medicine."

"'Spelled it out.' When did you...Oh! The mirror? I thought that was a threat or something."

"It was a WARNING. And now it's too late to do anything but hope for me to be wrong." 

"W-who's coming?"

"Think for a moment. Recently who has tried to hurt you?"

"Um, Dark?" Jack continued as Anti nodded, "But he doesn't know where I am."

"Let’s hope that will stop him."

"How do you know all of this? How do you know  _ any _ of this? Who are you? Why are you in my head?!"

"I know you can figure it out on your own."

Jack thought for a moment then shook his head. He felt like he had almost all the puzzle pieces but they weren't fitting together.

"When did I start talking to you?"

"After my trip to LA." Jack answer promptly.

"And what happened while you were there?"

"I told Mark I liked him?"

Anti rolled his eyes. "Before that."

"Uh, Dark attacked me? But how does that have anything to do with..."

"Now you're getting it."

"You are the same thing as Dark." Anti nodded. "Did he create you?"

"It's a little more complicated than that but he is the reason I'm here."

"Don't you dare try and posses me."

Anti laughed. "I'm not interested in that. You don't have to worry."

"This doesn't answer my question of how you know this stuff. If you are me, we should know the same things."

Anti sighed, "Unfortunately we have run out time. I can continue answer any questions when you are awake if you stop trying to block me out."

When Jack reluctantly agreed the room he was in dissolved leaving him alone in blackness.

* * *

Jack awoke to brightness. He groaned and turned over, squeezing his eyes shut. He must of forgotten to shut his shades last night and now sunlight was shining in his face. After laying in bed for awhile wanting to go back to sleep but failing, Jack sat up. He stared at the bed posts for a long moment.

_ 'There something you're forgetting. Something important.' _

**oh don't tell me you don't remember**

Maybe he had been drunk last night. That would explain him failing to remember...something. He didn't feel hungover though. And the voice was much too loud. It shouldn't even be there. Maybe he forgot to take his medicine. But whatever he couldn't remember felt bigger than just missing a dose.

**could you stop calling me 'the voice'**

"Well I don't know what else to call you!" Jack realized he was shouting at nothing and cursed.

**anti**

"What?"

**call me anti**

"Like-"

**yes the internet came up with the name i already told you this**

"Alright, let's say we did talk already. When was it?"

**last night**

"No. I went straight to bed after eating."

**it was while you were dreaming**

At that Jack paused. He did think he had weird dreams. He was talking to his twin or something.

**you're starting to remember**

If Jack didn't know better he would of thought the voice, or Anti as he wanted to be called, sounded hopeful. "Kinda. Maybe if you tell me what we talked about it will jog my memory."

**it was a long conversation a lot of different subjects were covered**

Before Jack could respond, he heard someone knocking on his door. It was probably a neighbor asking him to be quieter. After all his bedroom wasn't soundproofed like his recording room. He called out, "One moment," then pulled on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt.

**no don't go out there**

Jack opened his bedroom door and stepped into his hallway.

**please sean listen to me**

He reached his apartment door only to find it already opened.

"Hello Jack. Did you miss me?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *cough cough* I wrote a one shot *cough* You should check it out *cough cough*  
> I think I must be getting sick! :)
> 
> Anyways, hope you liked this chapter and have a wonderful holiday!


	12. The End

For someone who might walk in on the scene happening in an apartment located somewhere in Ireland, the first glance could appear as two acquaintances sitting across from each other in uncomfortable silence. If they are really observant they may sense it could escalate to a tense conversation but nothing too serious. However it is a very different perspective from either of the two men seated.

Both people were about the same height, though one was slouching on the couch, making him seem shorter. This man was thin, had neon green hair, and pale skin, giving the impression he did not get much sun. The green haired man was named Sean, but more commonly known as Jack. He was also quite calm for only waking up a short while ago with an intruder in his home. To an outsider he seemed lost in thought, but in reality he was chitchatting with a voice in his head. The voice, which called itself Anti, was telling Jack some crucial information about the guy who had broken in, who was called Dark.

Dark was sitting straight up in a chair, ready for action at a moment's notice. His appearance consistence of artificially bright red hair, a more stocky build, and a complexion that was Asian in descent. He stared curiously at the more relaxed man with eyes just a shade darker than his hair. 

Jack was an enigma. The first time Mark, Dark's other half, contacted Jack he didn't pay much attention to him. Dark had a pattern of trying to destroy Mark through those he was close to and knew that Mark would keep distance, both physically and emotionally, between him and any new people. So there was no point in using Jack to hurt Mark. Then they met in person for the first time. And Dark could sense something in Jack. Underneath all the goody two shoes bullshit and kind hearted exterior was a flicker of darkness. Potential. 

After that Dark changed his plans and course of action. Before he would hit Mark with everything he had, taking over his body as much as possible, killing small animals and leaving what was left for him to see, etcetera, to weaken his will. Now he allowed Mark the illusion of control. He hid his presence and started saving energy to work on his new plan. When he did that two things Dark did not predict happened. First he was able to start taking control without any signs showing to warn Mark that it was almost Dark's turn to use his body. He limited himself to rarely stealing time and only at night when he learned of this new skill. The second effect that came with Dark being more dormant was Mark putting less effort into protecting his heart. He fell quickly and hard for Jack. This complicated things but Dark couldn't help but be pleased. He would be happy to just have a companion but if he was also able to corrupt Mark's beau...

Using the irregular nights he had control, Dark did research and eventually found a way to create a split between the good and bad of a person's psyche, making a being like him. Then he waited. When it was was time for his plan everything went perfectly. Mark was alone with Jack; no one was there to stop him from taking control. He was even able to chase the other man almost all the way to the abandoned building he was using so he didn't have to carry Jack much. The only problem he ran into was Jack escaping before he was finish.  He didn't think that would happen. And from what he knew about Jack he wasn't a fighter so Dark had believed he would be able to recapture him fairly easily. But surprise, surprise! Jack didn't hesitate to hit him in the face with a wooden board. At the time Dark thought he just misread his personality, as he wasn't all that interested in Jack. But now he was trying to correlate the calm side he was seeing currently to the survivor and even to the panicked man in the warehouse. It worried Dark how unpredictable Jack was being. But he kept his face carefully blank as he cleared his throat getting the Irish man's attention.

"So, Jack. You have caused me a lot of trouble." Silence. Dark continued, "I can understand and forgive attacking me. But cutting off all contact with Mark?" Dark shook his head in mock sadness. "That was extremely cruel to Mark. You made him cry! Well, to be fair, that is easy with how big of a crybaby he is. But still. I would congratulate and thank you but that also made  _ my _ life more difficult."

"How did you find my home?"

"Mark got the address from what's his face. Um, Felix?" Jack nodded slowly but didn't speak. "You're not going to apologize for the problems you have caused me?"

"No."

"Wow. Someone's a bit salty. What did I ever do to deserve that kind of sass?"

Jack stared at Dark in shock and said slowly, "You _ kidnapped  _ me. You  _ tortured _ me. You ruined my friendship with Mark."

"Hey! That last one was not my fault."

"If it wasn't for you I would never of told Mark how I felt. We would still be friends."

Dark crossed his arms and muttered, "Your relationship was falling apart long before I did anything. But I don't want to argue about this. We need to finish what we started. I'd appreciate if you cooperate."

"Um, no, I don't think-"

"Ah, ah, ah. No stalling," Dark said as he stood and started looking for something sharp he could use. He trusted that Jack was freaked out enough now that he wouldn't attempt anything while his back was turned. "Anyways, it won't take long."

Dark was riffling through the kitchen drawers when he heard Jack stand up. In a frenzy he tried to grab a knife or fork but picked up a spoon instead. He turned around, pointing threateningly it in the direction of Jack. The cutlery fell to the ground with a clatter as he stared at the man standing there. "It worked," Dark whispered.

"It won't take any time. Sit down." 

Dark ignored the order, instead taking the features of what was Jack a few minutes ago. His eyes were the most striking difference; whites replaced by black, one iris still blue, the other green and slitted, reminiscent of a snake's. "It actually worked," Dark repeated before asking louder, "What's your name?"

"Anti."

Dark seemed unaware of the glare he was receiving as he clapped his hands in excitement. "Oh! I like it. This is wonderful!"

"I'd have to disagree," Anti said coldly.

That got through Dark and his joy fell fast. "What-what do you mean? We could hang out and, I don't know, do stuff together. We could be friends."

"No. I don't think so."

"Why not? I created you! You wouldn't even exist if it weren't for me. You owe me!" Dark shouted in anger.

"I never asked to be created. I was perfectly content as one person."

"Maybe, but-"

"And you were going to bind me to you! That's kind of an asshole move."

"I-"

"One last thing! You keep trying to hurt this body. And for whatever reason you might not be, but I'm a bit protective over my other half! So,  _ no. _ Being friends is not going to happen."

The last sentence echoed through the apartment. Anti breathed heavily while Dark did his best impression of a kicked puppy.

"I just didn't want to be alone anymore," Dark said quietly.

Anti cursed his more empathetic side as he felt a stab of guilt. He sighed and brushed his hair out of his face then closed the distance between him and Dark.

"Fine. I guess we can try hanging out," Anti said, pulling Dark into a hug. Then said just loud enough for Dark to hear, "But if you even _ think _ about harming Sean again, I _ will _ destroy you."

* * *

Mark and Jack were sitting on the couch, leaning against each other. Breaking the comfortable silence Mark spoke up.

"I'm sorry for making your life so hectic."

"It's fine," Jack responded sleepily.

"No, really. If you didn't know me none of this would of happened."

Jack sat up said seriously, "I would go through a lot worse just to know you." Losing his serious tone and laying back down he continued, "And it all worked out in the end. So no need to think about what ifs."

"Oh! I almost forgot."

"Forgot what?"

"What I came here to tell you."

"Can't it wait? I wanna sleep now."

"Nope!" When he felt a slight pressure against his lips Jack opened his eyes in surprise. Blue eyes met brown as Mark spoke.

"I hope you can forgive me for being an idiot and not telling you I felt the same when you told me you liked me."

Jack smiled. "Of course I can. Since after all you're my idiot," he said, returning the stolen kiss. "Now, shut up. I'm tired."

And both Mark and Jack slept soundly in each other's embrace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. I actually finished this. I'm not too happy with the ending, I feel like there are still a lot of loose ends, but I'm not going to drag it out. At least not today. I might come back to this story later and rewrite it. But for now I'm going to work on some other ideas I have. So look forward to that! One final time though, thank you so much for reading this story. I honestly hope you enjoyed it.  
> -RRR


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